Whirlpool attachment for tubs

ABSTRACT

A whirlpool attachment for a tub-shower installation includes a fresh water supply line fitted to the tub spout in alignment with a diverter valve which closes off the line when the spout is open. The line leads through a housing to an orifice facing a mixing chamber, and a needle valve is provided to control and close the orifice. The housing defines an air passage which opens into the chamber and a recirculating passage allows tub water to enter the chamber to provide a combined, aerated flow of high turbulence. The diverter valve directs flow either to the spout or to both the shower and whirlpool attachment, and the needle valve and a shower shutoff valve enable the user to select between the shower and attachment.

[451 July 3,1973

United States Patent [191 Bolgert et a1.

[5 1 WHIRLPOOL ATTACHMENT FOR TUBS 3,430,270 3/1969 Vanegasmm.

[75] inventors: Edwin F. Bolg ert; Eugene O.

Weeden, both of Kohler, wi Primary Examiner-John Petrakes Assistant Examiner-Donald B. Massenberg Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis.

Apr. 9, 1971 [73] Assignee:

Filed:

Attorney-Allan W. Leiser and Arthur H. Seidel [57] ABSTRACT A whirlpool attachment for a tub-shower installation [21] Appl. No; 132,841

[52] US. Cl. 4/180 includes a fresh water supply line fitted to the tub spout [51] Int. A47k 3/00 in alignment with a diverter valve which closes off the [58] Field of Search......... line when the spout is open. The line leads through a housing to an orifice facing a mixing chamber, and a needle valve is provided to control and close the orifree. The housing defines an air passage which opens References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS into the chamber and a recirculating passage allows tub water to enter the chamber to provide a combined, aerm ..m mm "huh". H HHU N S u [an "t e l m emte Cf endnu m rn.l t ya u SPSJBSRH 85973335 62656666 99999999 llllllll 72073449 692600984 7766445 ,3 ,5 ,3

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures l .l, ziiit w PATENTED L I975 ZAA7/// n I J r a INVENTQRS EDWIN F. BOLGERT EUGENE O-WEEDEN ATTORNEY WHIRLPOOL ATTACHMENT FOR TUBS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a whirlpool attachment for a home bathtub or the like, and particularly to the type of attachment that introduces a combined, aerated flow of fresh water and recirculated tub water.

Whirlpool devices for home tubs have come into wide use for therapy and relaxation, but most whirlpool units now on the market are independent, electrically powered units which are quite expensive. Some whirlpool attachments have been devised that can be fitted to a conventional tub spout see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,616, issued Nov. 24, i970 but no known attachment of this type fulfills all of the relevant 3 requirements. To be fully satisfactory, such a device must develop a flow of high rate and turbulence, it must be usable with a standard tub or tub-shower system, it must be easily controllable, it must meet plumbing code regulations, it must be relatively small, simple and inexpensive, and it must be esthetically attractive. All known prior devices are deficient in one or more of these respects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view illustrating a tubshower installation incorporating a whirlpool attachment according to the invention, A FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view, partially broken away, further illustrating the installation of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view, with significant elements shown in cross section, showing the whirlpool attachment of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in cross section through the plane 44 shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The tub-shower installation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a bathtub 1, one end of which is against a wall 2 that conceals the plumbing system. Behind the wall 2, hot and cold water conduits 3 lead to a common manifold 4 which mounts opposite main valves 5 that control, respectively, the outputs of the two conduits 3 and which extend outwardly through the wall 2 to present control handles 6, only one of the valves 5 and handles 6 being visible in FIG. 1. A shower line 7 is connected to and leads upwardly from the manifold 4 and through the wall 2 to terminate in a shower head 8; and a spout line 9 is connected to and leads downwardly from the manifold 4 and through the wall 2 to a tub spout 10 which is provided with a diverter valve 11. The manifold 4 and lines 7 and 9 together define a branched inlet line for all water admitted through the conduits 3 past the valves 5, the diverter valve 11 serving to control operation as will be described more fully hereinafter. The installation as thus far described is conventional, and such systems, and others in which the invention may be incorporated, are well known to those skilled in the art.

The spout 10 is essentially like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,748, issued Apr. 23, 1963, to which reference may be had for a complete description. It includes a body 12 defining an inlet 13 to which the spout line 9 is connected and an outlet 14 which empties into the tub 1. A stepped partition 15 extends across the spout body 12 in front of the inlet 13 to divide the body 12 into two chambers, an inlet chamber 16 and an outlet chamber 17. The partition 15 includes a horizontal portion 18 which is provided with a circular flow passage 19 which affords communication between the chambers 16 and 17 and which is opened and closed by the valve 11.

The valve 11 includes a suitable disc valve member 20 which is below and movable against the passage 19, the valve 20 being of sufficient size to close off the passage 19. A stem 21 is connected to and leads upwardly from the disc 20 through the upper surface of the spout body 12 to present a manual operating knob 22 by means of which the disc 20 may be moved vertically. The stem 21 is relatively freely reciprocably mounted, so that the disc 20 is normally biased downwardly by gravity to the open position shown in FIG. 1 wherein it is spaced from the passage 19 leaving the latter open. In this condition, fluid under pressure may flow from the chamber 16 to the chamber 17 and out the outlet 14. The manifold 4 includes a conventional aspirator plug 4 threaded into the manifold body and defining a vertical passage 4a at the inlet of the line 7 and diagonal passages 4b which lead toward the line 9. The plug 4' serves in usual fashion to insure that water will not flow up through the line 7 when the valve 11 is open, the passage 4a then serving as an air passage. When the disc valve 20 is raised by means of the knob 22, however, the passage 19 will be closed to seal off the chamber 16 from the chamber 17, thus effectively closing the spout 10. Water under pressure will then be directed either through the passage 4a to the line 7 or to the whirlpool attachment as will be described. In closed condition, there will be sufficient pressure in the chamber 16 to hold the valve 20 up against its own weight, and it will automatically drop back to the position shown in FIG. 3,when the main valves 5 are closed. While a gravity bias of the valve 1 1 toward the open position shown in FIG. 3 is satisfactory, a bias spring could be provided to urge the valve 20 downwardly. A baffle 23 extends fowardly from the partition 15 above the passage 19, the stem 21 passing loosely through an opening therein, and serves to develop a low pressure region during flow which prevents leakage around the valve stem 21, all as set forth more fully in U. S. Pat. No. 3,086,748. While the particular spout, diverter valve and manifold construction shown is especially suited for use in connection with this invention, it will be obvious that other known constructions could be substituted. One particular advantage of the construction shown is that the same spout can easily be used either with or without a whirlpool attachment, in the latter of which events the whirlpool connector fitting to be described below can be replaced by a simple plug threaded to the bottom of the spout body 12 as shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,086,748.

The whirlpool attachment is seen most clearly in FIG. 3. It includes a fresh water supply line 24 which is generally vertical but which includes a generally horizontal offset portion 25 which allows the attachment to be in proper position in the tub I. The upper end of the line 24 is removably connected to the spout below and in alignment with the diverter valve 11. The removable connection is preferably accomplished through a twopart fitting 26 which includes an upper part 27 that is removably threadedly connected to a second horizontal portion 28 of the partition 15. The part 27 closely surrounds but is not fixed to the upper end of the line 24 and it rests against the upper end of an enlarged collar 29 fixed to the outer surface of the line 24, an O- ring 30 being interposed therebetween to provide a seal. The part 27 has a relatively close fit with a corresponding opening in the bottom wall of the spout body 12, and a second O-ring 31 is seated in a groove on the outer surface of the part 27 to insure an adequate water seal. The part 27 defines an inlet 32 for the line 24, and this is shaped to define an annular shoulder 33 against which the disc valve can seat when it is in its open position as shown in FIG. 3, the line 24 then being closed off. A screen 34 is preferably fitted across the inlet 32.

A lock nut 35 forms the second part of the fitting 26 and is threadedly engageable with the lower portion of the part 27. The lock nut 35 fits snugly but rotatably about the line 24, and bears against the lower edge of the collar 29 to compress the seal 30. The whirlpool attachment may readily be removed from the spout 10 by first removing the lock nut 35 and then the fitting part 27. Since the line 24 is rotatable with respect to both parts of the fitting 26, the entire attachment may be rotated about a vertical axis to direct flow in a desired direction, and the fits are tight enough so that it will remain in any selected position. As previously indicated, where it is not desired to use the whirlpool attachment a plug having the general configuration of the fitting part 27 but with a closed end can be threaded into the spout 10.

The supply line 24 extends down into a housing designated generally by the reference numeral 36 and made up of a vertical sleeve 37, an upper cap 38, and a lower head 39. Much of the line 24 is disposed within the sleeve 37, and the latter is substantially larger leaving space defining an air passage. The cap 38 has a press fit in the sleeve 37, and it is provided with a cutout 40, seen most clearly in FIG. 4, which receives the line 24 with sufficient spacing to provide an inlet opening at the upper end of the air passage. The cap 38 serves to suppress underwater noises, and also serves an esthetic function. The sleeve 37 and cap 38 together form a vertical portion of the housing which is of substantial length so that the opening 40 will be above the level of water in the tub I when the attachment is in use; and to insure this the vertical portion should extend above the overflow level of the tub l.

The head 39 is generally horizontally disposed and includes a generally central, circular, upstanding boss 41 which is threadedly received in the lower end of the sleeve 37. The forward portion of the head 39, the portion to the left as seen in FIG. 3, defines an outwardly and forwardly opening, horizontally elongated mixing chamber 42 through which the flow afforded by the attachment is discharged into the tub I in the direction of the arrows as shown. A generally central partition 43 is immediately behind the chamber 42, and an orifice 44 is cut through the partition 43 and is in horizontal alignment with the longitudinal axis of the chamber 42. An air opening 45 leads downwardly through the boss 41 in the area circumscribed by the sleeve 37 and thus affords communication between the chamber 42 and the air passage defined by the sleeve. A recirculation passage 46 leads through the bottom of the head 39 into the chamber 42 and is preferably inclined in the direction of output flow.

The lower end of the supply line 24 is threadedly connected to the boss 41 behind the partition 43, and communicates with a right angle entry passage 47 which leads to the orifice 44. The passage 47 serves in essence as a continuation of the supply line 24, so that the line in effect terminates at the orifice 44. A control valve designated generally by the reference numeral 48 is threadedly mounted in the head 39 behind and in horizontal alignment with the orifice 44 and chamber 42, and includes a needle valve element 49 which is movable toward and away from the orifice 44 and a threaded stem 50 which extends rearwardly through the head 39 to present a manually engageable knob 51. The needle 49 can be moved toward and into the orifice 44 to effectively vary the rate of flow through the line 24, and also serves as a means to close the line 24 completely when it is desired to use the shower. A manually operable shutoff valve 52 of any suitable type is incorporated in the shower line 7, and, with the valve 48, serves to allow the user to select between whirlpool and shower operation.

If hot, cold, or temperate water is admitted to the system by opening one or both of the valves 5 when the elements are in the normal position shown in FIG. 3, it will flow out through the spout 10 because the line 24 is effectively closed by the valve 20 and the plug 4 in the manifold 4 prevents it from moving upwardly through the line 7. When the diverter valve 11 is closed by lifting the valve 20 upwardly, however, this flow will be blocked and water will become available to either the shower line 7 or the supply line 24. If the user wants to use the shower system, he will have closed the valve 48 and opened the valve 52, whereupon water under pressure will move up through the line 7 and out through the shower head 8. If it is desired to use the whirlpool attachment, however, the valve 52 will be shut off and the valve 48 will be opened to give the operation described below.

Assuming that the diverter valve 11 and the valve 52 have been closed and the valve 48 has been opened, water admitted into the system will move down through the line 24 and passage 47 through the orifice 44 and into the mixing chamber 42 from whence it will be discharged under pressure into the tub I. At the same time, the flow velocity will cause standing water in the tub to be drawn through the passage 46 to mix with the incoming flow of fresh water, this action serving to prevent cavitation in the chamber 42 which would result in pulsation and also to increase the volume of the output flow. Also, air will be drawn in through the passage defined by the sleeve 37 and cap 38 and will enter into the chamber 42 through the opening 45, thus aerating the combined flow. In actual practice, an attachment formed like the preferred embodiment shown herein has been demonstrated to provide an extremely uniform and effective flow of high turbulence and high volume to provide an excellent whirlpool effect.

Whether the shower or whirlpool attachment is being used, a system pressure drop or shutting off the control valves 5 and 6 will allow the valve 11 to drop to open position. While this type of operation as such is generally conventional, it is particularly beneficial in connection with the whirlpool attachment in that in the event of any significant drop in pressure in the supply conduits 3 the valve will automatically drop and close the line 24 to prevent tub water from being drawn into the house water system. This vacuum-break type of operation enables the attachment to comply with plumbing codes.

The embodiment of the invention shown has proven to be highly effective, but is still relatively simple and inexpensive and esthetically attractive. The flow of fresh water through the line 24 may readily be controlled by means of the valve 48, so that the user can easily adjust the attachment to give a desired flow. With the valve 48 and the shutoff valve 52, the attachment can easily be incorporated into a standard tub shower installation using a two-way diverter valve. Having the chamber 42, orifice 44 and valve 48 in horizontal alignment enables the head 39 to be positioned near the very bottom of the tub 1; this arrangement is preferred, but the valve 48 could be placed at any point along the line 24.

While the foregoing and other advantages are particularly apparent in the preferred embodiment shown and described herein, it will be apparent that variations in structure and application might be made without departure from the spirit of the invention. As indicated, the attachment can be used with various types of systems and spout-diverter valve arrangements, and can be connected to the inlet system at any point between the valves 11 and 52. It is not necessarily restricted for use in a tub-shower system as shown, and might, for example, be used in an ordinary tub system by replacing the usual spout with a diverter spout or even by independently connecting the attachment to a water source. The specific structure might be modified, for example by forming the line 24 and sleeve 37 as an integral unit. in view of these and other possible modifications, it is not intended that the invention be limited by the showing herein, or in any other manner, except insofar as is specifically required.

We claim:

1. In a whirlpool attachment of the type adapted to be connected to a tub spout and to introduce a combined flow of fresh water, air, and recirculated water into a tub,

the improvement wherein the attachment comprises:

a housing including a head at its lower end, said head defining a forwardly opening mixing chamber, the housing also including a tubular vertical portion of substantial length leading upwardly from the head and being closed at its upper end, said tubular vertical portion defining an air passage that opens at its lower end into the rear of the mixing chamber and being provided with a slot in its side beneath and adjacent its closed upper end that defines an upper opening for the air passage;

a fresh water supply line, said supply line including an upper vertical portion that is connectible at its upper end to the tub spout to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis, a generally horizontally extending intermediate portion, the downstream end of which extends through said slot with a substantial clearance, and a lower vertical portion that is disposed within the tubular vertical portion of the housing with a substantial clearance and that terminates at its lower end in an orifice that opens into the rear of the mixing chamber, the lower end of the air passage leading into the mixing chamber at an area downstream of the exit of the orifice; and

a water recirculation passage that leads from the exterior of the heat at a bottom location intermediate of the forward and rear portions of said head to enter the mixing chamber at an area that is downstream of the exit of the orifice at least as far as the area where the air passage enters the mixing chamber.

2. The attachment of claim 1, wherein: the mixing chamber is horizontally elongated with non-converging side walls; the orifice is defined by the head and is located at the inner rear of the mixing chamber; the head is provided with a boss portion above the mixing chamber which is received in the lower end of the tubular vertical portion; there is a water entry passage through the boss portion that is behind and feeds into the orifice and to which the lower end of the water supply line is connected; and there is an air opening through the boss portion in front of the water entry passage that enters the mixing chamber through a side wall at a point immediately to the front of the orifice.

3. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the air passage opens into the mixing chamber immediately adjacent the exit of the orifice.

4. The attachment of claim 3 wherein the air passage and recirculation passage open into the' mixing chamber at areas that are substantially on opposite sides of the orifice.

5. The attachment of claim 1 wherein there is a manually adjustable control valve operatively associated with the supply line and operable to vary the flow of fresh water therethrough;

6. The attachment of claim 5 in combination with a tub-shower installation of the type including an inlet line that is branched to define a shower line that leads to a shower head and a spout line that leads to a tub spout, the spout including a diverter valve that is movable between an open position wherein water can flow through the spout and a closed position wherein the spout is effectively closed, wherein: there is a manually operable shutoff valve in the shower line; and the attachment supply line is connected to the inlet line between the diverter valve and shutoff valve; and the control valve is operable to close the supply line.

7. The attachment of claim 5 wherein: the head has a forward portion that opens horizontally outwardly to define the chamber,the head including an intermediate portion behind the chamber which defines the orifice, the orifice being in horizontal alignment with the chamber, the head also defining an entry passage to the rear of and in communication with the orifice; and the lower end of the supply line is connected to the entry passage; and the control valve is a needle valve which is mounted on the head behind and in horizontal alignment with the orifice and which projects rearwardly through the head to present a manually operable knob. u a t m 

1. In a whirlpool attachment of the type adapted to be connected to a tub spout and to introduce a combined flow of fresh water, air, and recirculated water into a tub, the improvement wherein the attachment comprises: a housing including a head at its lower end, said head defining a forwardly opening mixing chamber, the housing also including a tubular vertical portion of substantial length leading upwardly from the head and being closed at its upper end, said tubular vertical portion defining an air passage that opens at its lower end into the rear of the mixing chamber and being provided with a slot in its side beneath and adjacent its closed upper end that defines an upper opening for the air passage; a fresh water supply line, said supply line including an upper vertical portion that is connectible at its upper end to the tub spout to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis, a generally horizontally extending intermediate portion, the downstream end of which extends through said slot with a substantial clearance, and a lower vertical portion that is disposed within the tubular vertical portion of the housing with a substantial clearance and that terminates at its lower end in an orifice that opens into the rear of the mixing chamber, the lower end of the air passage leading into the mixing chamber at an area downstream of the exit of the orifice; and a water recirculation passage that leads from the exterior of the head at a bottom location intermediate of the forward and rear portions of said head to enter the mixing chamber at an area that is downstream of the exit of the orifice at least as far as the area where the air passage enters the mixing chamber.
 2. The attachment of claim 1, wherein: the mixing chamber is horizontally elongated with non-converging side walls; the orifice is defined by the head and is located at the inner rear of the mixing chamber; the head is provided with a boss portion above the mixing chamber which is received in the lower end of the tubular vertical portion; there is a water entry passage through the boss portion that is behind and feeds into the orifice and to which the lower end of the water supply line is connected; and there is an air opening through the boss portion in front of the water entrY passage that enters the mixing chamber through a side wall at a point immediately to the front of the orifice.
 3. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the air passage opens into the mixing chamber immediately adjacent the exit of the orifice.
 4. The attachment of claim 3 wherein the air passage and recirculation passage open into the mixing chamber at areas that are substantially on opposite sides of the orifice.
 5. The attachment of claim 1 wherein there is a manually adjustable control valve operatively associated with the supply line and operable to vary the flow of fresh water therethrough.
 6. The attachment of claim 5 in combination with a tub-shower installation of the type including an inlet line that is branched to define a shower line that leads to a shower head and a spout line that leads to a tub spout, the spout including a diverter valve that is movable between an open position wherein water can flow through the spout and a closed position wherein the spout is effectively closed, wherein: there is a manually operable shutoff valve in the shower line; and the attachment supply line is connected to the inlet line between the diverter valve and shutoff valve; and the control valve is operable to close the supply line.
 7. The attachment of claim 5 wherein: the head has a forward portion that opens horizontally outwardly to define the chamber, the head including an intermediate portion behind the chamber which defines the orifice, the orifice being in horizontal alignment with the chamber, the head also defining an entry passage to the rear of and in communication with the orifice; and the lower end of the supply line is connected to the entry passage; and the control valve is a needle valve which is mounted on the head behind and in horizontal alignment with the orifice and which projects rearwardly through the head to present a manually operable knob. 